Are Professional Sports Slowly Dying?

pearljammr78

Meltdown99 said:

pearljammr78 said:

He apparently can do whatever he wants. Being happy about it? Not one bit. Jealous. Your damn right. But this is part of my argument with pro sports. Spoiled assholes who don’t realize how great they have it. He’s 29 years old and football is too mentally draining? Try barely making it or even making it as a middle class American by having two incomes. No money for travel and no time because you work and your partner works full time just to make it. And you have no options at 29 or 50 to retire. Yes I am jealous. But this is also why I don’t care for sports any longer. It’s a fucking game. And people live like it’s life or death. 

I believe the injuries and always being in pain is what is mentally draining.  He is not being selfish.  Fans who expect him to play when it's obvious the pain is just too much for him the fans who expect him to play are selfish.  Football is a very physically demanding game.

I completely understand when someone retires early from the pain and/or injuries. Or even when someone retires early from the NFL to prevent permanent damage to themselves. Luck said, I am retiring because I don’t want to have to get mentally ready for the season. He said that he wants to live his life and can’t do that cause of football. He signed a contract. If the team was going to void his contract the players union would be up in arms. It takes all my power to get out of bed and go do my job 5-6 days a week all year long. Year after year but I have no option. Bills have to be paid. Mouths need to be fed. To accept this because a guy can throw a ball well is ridiculous. I’m glad the Colts fans booed him and I wish ESPN would be calling him out on his BS. 

I completely agree that college athletes get screwed big time. IMO all college athletes that make the team or squad regardless the sport should have full free ride scholarships and a stipend of pay. As long as grades stay above a minimum and no off field problems. The stipend should be the same for all student athletes to help with food, other stuff. But that would never happen. 

bootlegger10

I was working today.  On a Sunday.  I was down, I admit.  A beautiful day outside.  But then, I remembered and said to myself,  "Damnit bootlegger, there are people around the globe stretching their ankles at this very moment.  Don't you ever feel like you have it bad because there is always someone out there in worse condition.  For SHAME, bootlegger.  For shame."

Two weeks ago I was feeling pretty good about a job I finished at work.  I was feeling like a hero.  I accomplished so much.  But then I said to myself, "bootlegger, you are not a hero.  There are people out there this very moment stretching their ankles.  Even the higher parts of their ankles.  And for what?   $10M dollars?  The ankle stretchers are the real heroes. For SHAME, bootlegger.  For shame." 

I am hard on myself.  I should talk to someone about being more positive to myself. 

Literally 30 seconds after this post I said to myself, "Bootlegger, you think you are too hard on yourself?  There are people out there being told by their employer paid doctors to stretch...their....ankles.  Some both, some just one ankle.  Regardless, to think that you being hard on yourself even equates to some person that pays you $10M asking you to stretch your ankle is shameful.  For SHAME bootlegger.  For shame." 

Hi!

After seeing this I wondered if his retirement might actually be more detrimental to his health.

pearljammr78

Hi! said:

After seeing this I wondered if his retirement might actually be more detrimental to his health.

Maybe that’s why he retires. The juice is loose

ponytd

pearljammr78 said:

Meltdown99 said:

pearljammr78 said:

He apparently can do whatever he wants. Being happy about it? Not one bit. Jealous. Your damn right. But this is part of my argument with pro sports. Spoiled assholes who don’t realize how great they have it. He’s 29 years old and football is too mentally draining? Try barely making it or even making it as a middle class American by having two incomes. No money for travel and no time because you work and your partner works full time just to make it. And you have no options at 29 or 50 to retire. Yes I am jealous. But this is also why I don’t care for sports any longer. It’s a fucking game. And people live like it’s life or death. 

I believe the injuries and always being in pain is what is mentally draining.  He is not being selfish.  Fans who expect him to play when it's obvious the pain is just too much for him the fans who expect him to play are selfish.  Football is a very physically demanding game.

I completely understand when someone retires early from the pain and/or injuries. Or even when someone retires early from the NFL to prevent permanent damage to themselves. Luck said, I am retiring because I don’t want to have to get mentally ready for the season. He said that he wants to live his life and can’t do that cause of football. He signed a contract. If the team was going to void his contract the players union would be up in arms. It takes all my power to get out of bed and go do my job 5-6 days a week all year long. Year after year but I have no option. Bills have to be paid. Mouths need to be fed. To accept this because a guy can throw a ball well is ridiculous. I’m glad the Colts fans booed him and I wish ESPN would be calling him out on his BS. 

I completely agree that college athletes get screwed big time. IMO all college athletes that make the team or squad regardless the sport should have full free ride scholarships and a stipend of pay. As long as grades stay above a minimum and no off field problems. The stipend should be the same for all student athletes to help with food, other stuff. But that would never happen. 

They do(or did) get stipends. at least at D1 schools they do, not sure about lower levels. Knew a couple of people that played football in the SEC over the years and they got stipends. One of the guys went to Vanderbilt and was from Nashville. He would have his mom cook him and his buddies dinners sometimes and they'd keep their money and go to Tunica and gamble with it.

I would like to see players get paid somehow. Alabama and Clemson sell Tua and Lawrence jerseys (without their name on the back) and the school and NCAA get that money, but the players get nothing. Maybe hold that money in like an escrow account or something that they'll get if they graduate or meet certain GPA requirements or something. Something will change in the next few years, just need to get rid of Emmert from NCAA.

As far as pro sports, I do feel it's on the verge of being in a crossroads. It's not going to fold or anything like that, but the NBA TV viewing numbers went down this year. Mainly that was because LeBron is on the west coast and east coast people are not gonna stay up to watch a game that late. The league is faced with a crises as it seems to revolve around one player. Overall league attendance was down also.

the NFL was up in viewers, but declined quite a bit in ticket sales for games. Overall, game attendance was down  for all major sports. There's several reasons for all of this, but mainly because it's easier and more comfortable to watch games in your house or in a bar with friends. I have both Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators season tickets. The Titans have been a mediocre at best team in the last decade and have raised ticket prices like 6 times. They didn't even make the playoffs this past year, but raised ticket prices by about 10%. The Predators have been one of the better teams in the NHL over the last couple of years, and they've raised ticket prices each year. I'm locked into no more than a 3% increase in per game prices, but that's a 9% raise over those years. 

Sports is very popular, but it's being consumed differently now. I love being at the game and feeling the joy(or disappointment in the Titans case lol) of the crowd as I'm there. But with prices increasing, the average fan is being priced out of the arena. I'm contemplating getting rid of one set of my tickets if they keep raising the prices. It sucks cause I enjoy going and have great seats, but I know lots of people who feel the same way. And with players holding out more and/or getting injured more frequently, especially in the NFL, the product doesn't seem to be the same as it was even 10-15 years ago. 

Pro sports isn't going anywhere, but I wonder what the leagues will do if ticket sales continue to decline. I would think the ad revenue would be able to make up for it, but haven't taken the time to look up those numbers

rgambs

One can only hope!

rgambs

One can only hope!

pearljammr78

ponytd said:

pearljammr78 said:

Meltdown99 said:

pearljammr78 said:

He apparently can do whatever he wants. Being happy about it? Not one bit. Jealous. Your damn right. But this is part of my argument with pro sports. Spoiled assholes who don’t realize how great they have it. He’s 29 years old and football is too mentally draining? Try barely making it or even making it as a middle class American by having two incomes. No money for travel and no time because you work and your partner works full time just to make it. And you have no options at 29 or 50 to retire. Yes I am jealous. But this is also why I don’t care for sports any longer. It’s a fucking game. And people live like it’s life or death. 

I believe the injuries and always being in pain is what is mentally draining.  He is not being selfish.  Fans who expect him to play when it's obvious the pain is just too much for him the fans who expect him to play are selfish.  Football is a very physically demanding game.

I completely understand when someone retires early from the pain and/or injuries. Or even when someone retires early from the NFL to prevent permanent damage to themselves. Luck said, I am retiring because I don’t want to have to get mentally ready for the season. He said that he wants to live his life and can’t do that cause of football. He signed a contract. If the team was going to void his contract the players union would be up in arms. It takes all my power to get out of bed and go do my job 5-6 days a week all year long. Year after year but I have no option. Bills have to be paid. Mouths need to be fed. To accept this because a guy can throw a ball well is ridiculous. I’m glad the Colts fans booed him and I wish ESPN would be calling him out on his BS. 

I completely agree that college athletes get screwed big time. IMO all college athletes that make the team or squad regardless the sport should have full free ride scholarships and a stipend of pay. As long as grades stay above a minimum and no off field problems. The stipend should be the same for all student athletes to help with food, other stuff. But that would never happen. 

They do(or did) get stipends. at least at D1 schools they do, not sure about lower levels. Knew a couple of people that played football in the SEC over the years and they got stipends. One of the guys went to Vanderbilt and was from Nashville. He would have his mom cook him and his buddies dinners sometimes and they'd keep their money and go to Tunica and gamble with it.

I would like to see players get paid somehow. Alabama and Clemson sell Tua and Lawrence jerseys (without their name on the back) and the school and NCAA get that money, but the players get nothing. Maybe hold that money in like an escrow account or something that they'll get if they graduate or meet certain GPA requirements or something. Something will change in the next few years, just need to get rid of Emmert from NCAA.

As far as pro sports, I do feel it's on the verge of being in a crossroads. It's not going to fold or anything like that, but the NBA TV viewing numbers went down this year. Mainly that was because LeBron is on the west coast and east coast people are not gonna stay up to watch a game that late. The league is faced with a crises as it seems to revolve around one player. Overall league attendance was down also.

the NFL was up in viewers, but declined quite a bit in ticket sales for games. Overall, game attendance was down  for all major sports. There's several reasons for all of this, but mainly because it's easier and more comfortable to watch games in your house or in a bar with friends. I have both Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators season tickets. The Titans have been a mediocre at best team in the last decade and have raised ticket prices like 6 times. They didn't even make the playoffs this past year, but raised ticket prices by about 10%. The Predators have been one of the better teams in the NHL over the last couple of years, and they've raised ticket prices each year. I'm locked into no more than a 3% increase in per game prices, but that's a 9% raise over those years. 

Sports is very popular, but it's being consumed differently now. I love being at the game and feeling the joy(or disappointment in the Titans case lol) of the crowd as I'm there. But with prices increasing, the average fan is being priced out of the arena. I'm contemplating getting rid of one set of my tickets if they keep raising the prices. It sucks cause I enjoy going and have great seats, but I know lots of people who feel the same way. And with players holding out more and/or getting injured more frequently, especially in the NFL, the product doesn't seem to be the same as it was even 10-15 years ago. 

Pro sports isn't going anywhere, but I wonder what the leagues will do if ticket sales continue to decline. I would think the ad revenue would be able to make up for it, but haven't taken the time to look up those numbers

Very well said. Yea, I think they are here to stay but changes are coming. Hopefully for the better. One thing about the games besides the crazy prices for everything is the drunk ass douche bags that can’t keep their shit together. Last game I went to was a Oregon vs. Cal game in Santa Clara. The majority of the fans were fall down drunk and sloppy before the game even started and inside the stadium I think the only word I heard was Fuck this and fucking that. I’m no saint but I do respect those with kids and families. I was glad we hadn’t brought my daughter. It was chaos. 

That being said. Wish Mariota would have been magic for the Titans. The kid is a class act and my wife even has a Titans Mariota jersey shirt she wears on Sundays.  Even though we don’t even watch football anymore. Gotta support a good Duck. 🦆 

g under p

A Boston area sports fan here since 1970. Sports there has been on a 20 year high and for me I've been a bit bored with it all lately. The one thing that has kept my interest is the many many years titles were non existent there.

Today we have so many other things that garners our attention in this age of the internet. At the same time we now have a rearrangement in sports betting that's bringing in people that see this rise as a way to make money. Some of these folks ordinarily may have a disinterest in sports.

We now also have sports team in and coming to the betting paradise called Las Vegas. BTW I love that Vegas hockey team pre game show and jersey.

Peace

pearljammr78

I am a Sox fan! Root for the Pats when they play anyone in the Super Bowl cause Brady is the GOAT. My team is moving to Vegas from Oakland, no city loyalty. Fuck the Raiders. 

Pornhub>sports. 

HughFreakingDillon

erebus said:

I don't think they are going away, but they are changing and evolving in several respects

society is changing, people want things faster, instant gratification. Thus the call for the speeding up of games (pitch clocks, less timeouts, different O.T rules)
People are consuming sports on so many different platforms now. For myself, I probably know more weird stats now due to fantasy sports leagues than from just watching and following. 
Sports are also very regional. Trout may be the greatest current player but all I ever hear about him is that you rarely get to see him.
There are no longer any real "America's" team as the Cowboys once were. In Canada people get behind the Jays and Raptors because that is all we have. But I am a Twins fan just because they are much closer and I am sure it is like that for various fans as we are very spread out (and not everything revolves around Toronto ha ha) Hockey loyalty is a completely different story
You are correct with no team loyalty by the players rarely anymore, and I think the super teams are ridiculous also
In some sports now I admire players but wouldn't say I was a die hard fan of a particular team

if by 'canada', you are referring to toronto, wrong. cfl attendance is down, but it's still popular. and the nhl in canada is HUGE. you haven't been able to buy a ticket to the leafs in decades. and no signs of changing. my god, living in winnipeg during the jets playoff run, you would have thought people didn't have jobs or families or any type of life whatsoever. it was all consuming, and even as a fairweather fan, it ROCKED. 

very few west of toronto give two shits about the jays or the raptors, until they reach the finals. 

HughFreakingDillon

pearljammr78 said:

I am a Sox fan! Root for the Pats when they play anyone in the Super Bowl cause Brady is the GOAT. My team is moving to Vegas from Oakland, no city loyalty. Fuck the Raiders. 

Pornhub>sports. 

LOL

tempo_n_groove

Sports are not dying attendance may be down but fantasy sports are up, betting on sports is expanding, “hot takes” and stupid stats are all the rave now, sports apps are on the rise.

Owners will get their money whether or not you come to the parks.

On Mike Trout.  Yes, the best player in baseball now for 6 years.  Stupid stats without a team around him.  If the Angels make it to post season more people will get to see the games which is good for everyone.  When the Pirates made the playoffs a few years back I was excited that people could finally get to see Andrew McKutchen play and see how great he actually is but they had a short stay in the playoffs...

Hype machines on twitter and the like help players reach greatness now and not ESPN’s “top plays”.  Every player wants to be their own brand as is the case in the NFL and NBA.  It is trickling into baseball now.  You’ll see more bat flips and celebrations.  The hand daps have been there for a bit but are now becoming more elaborate like synchronized swimming, lol.  I’m still waiting for a player to spike his helmet after he hits the ball over the wall for a walk off HR.

I still like to read about sports but it is a pain to read things online now with all the adds and other click bait, too much going on.  I do prefer magazines and the articles in them but I know that is all going away now too.

So, no.  Sports is not dying.

MayDay10

It isn't dying, nor will it ever.  It has been going on in some shape or form since civilizations started

It has and will evolve to suit society and technology.  80+ years ago the biggest spectator sports (in North America) were Horse Racing, Boxing, and Baseball.  Now it has become football.  Boxing and Horse Racing are on their way out, and I think baseball may be there in 50+ years. 
I actually believe within 25-30 years, basketball will supplant the NFL as the dominant NA sport and will have a world-wide following.  It will also be much more intertwined with other entertainment, media,  and pop culture.   

A lot of the quaint and 'pure' sport most of us enjoyed as kids is petering out.  Our parents felt the same when we were watching sports played by stars making over 1 million dollars on cable television with sportscenter highlights.

ponytd

tempo_n_groove said:

Sports are not dying attendance may be down but fantasy sports are up, betting on sports is expanding, “hot takes” and stupid stats are all the rave now, sports apps are on the rise.

Owners will get their money whether or not you come to the parks.

On Mike Trout.  Yes, the best player in baseball now for 6 years.  Stupid stats without a team around him.  If the Angels make it to post season more people will get to see the games which is good for everyone.  When the Pirates made the playoffs a few years back I was excited that people could finally get to see Andrew McKutchen play and see how great he actually is but they had a short stay in the playoffs...

Hype machines on twitter and the like help players reach greatness now and not ESPN’s “top plays”.  Every player wants to be their own brand as is the case in the NFL and NBA.  It is trickling into baseball now.  You’ll see more bat flips and celebrations.  The hand daps have been there for a bit but are now becoming more elaborate like synchronized swimming, lol.  I’m still waiting for a player to spike his helmet after he hits the ball over the wall for a walk off HR.

I still like to read about sports but it is a pain to read things online now with all the adds and other click bait, too much going on.  I do prefer magazines and the articles in them but I know that is all going away now too.

So, no.  Sports is not dying.

Good points. Fantasy has grown tremendously over the last few years(which is funny cause I'm growing tired of it lol) which can get and has gotten more people interested. With online sports betting becoming legal in more places and hopefully soon, legal across the US, could help, but I don't see it helping that much with new viewers. The majority of people that weren't able to bet were already watching. I'm sure there will be some increase in viewers of not so popular games, like the late night PAC12 or west coast team games.  It'll be interesting to see this year what those viewership numbers do. I'm guessing they'll rise some, but will it sustain.

I miss the old days of waiting to  watch ESPN top plays, but you're right, you don't have to wait for that now. It's instantly out there on Twitter or Instagram or whatever. Our news cycle has gone from 3-5 days to less than 24 hours and the leagues and players especially want to be the top story in that moment like you mentioned.

Like you said, it's not dying, but the way it's being consumed is changing rapidly. It'll be interesting to see how and what changes are made over the next 10 years or so

ponytd

pearljammr78 said:

ponytd said:

pearljammr78 said:

Meltdown99 said:

pearljammr78 said:

He apparently can do whatever he wants. Being happy about it? Not one bit. Jealous. Your damn right. But this is part of my argument with pro sports. Spoiled assholes who don’t realize how great they have it. He’s 29 years old and football is too mentally draining? Try barely making it or even making it as a middle class American by having two incomes. No money for travel and no time because you work and your partner works full time just to make it. And you have no options at 29 or 50 to retire. Yes I am jealous. But this is also why I don’t care for sports any longer. It’s a fucking game. And people live like it’s life or death. 

I believe the injuries and always being in pain is what is mentally draining.  He is not being selfish.  Fans who expect him to play when it's obvious the pain is just too much for him the fans who expect him to play are selfish.  Football is a very physically demanding game.

I completely understand when someone retires early from the pain and/or injuries. Or even when someone retires early from the NFL to prevent permanent damage to themselves. Luck said, I am retiring because I don’t want to have to get mentally ready for the season. He said that he wants to live his life and can’t do that cause of football. He signed a contract. If the team was going to void his contract the players union would be up in arms. It takes all my power to get out of bed and go do my job 5-6 days a week all year long. Year after year but I have no option. Bills have to be paid. Mouths need to be fed. To accept this because a guy can throw a ball well is ridiculous. I’m glad the Colts fans booed him and I wish ESPN would be calling him out on his BS. 

I completely agree that college athletes get screwed big time. IMO all college athletes that make the team or squad regardless the sport should have full free ride scholarships and a stipend of pay. As long as grades stay above a minimum and no off field problems. The stipend should be the same for all student athletes to help with food, other stuff. But that would never happen. 

They do(or did) get stipends. at least at D1 schools they do, not sure about lower levels. Knew a couple of people that played football in the SEC over the years and they got stipends. One of the guys went to Vanderbilt and was from Nashville. He would have his mom cook him and his buddies dinners sometimes and they'd keep their money and go to Tunica and gamble with it.

I would like to see players get paid somehow. Alabama and Clemson sell Tua and Lawrence jerseys (without their name on the back) and the school and NCAA get that money, but the players get nothing. Maybe hold that money in like an escrow account or something that they'll get if they graduate or meet certain GPA requirements or something. Something will change in the next few years, just need to get rid of Emmert from NCAA.

As far as pro sports, I do feel it's on the verge of being in a crossroads. It's not going to fold or anything like that, but the NBA TV viewing numbers went down this year. Mainly that was because LeBron is on the west coast and east coast people are not gonna stay up to watch a game that late. The league is faced with a crises as it seems to revolve around one player. Overall league attendance was down also.

the NFL was up in viewers, but declined quite a bit in ticket sales for games. Overall, game attendance was down  for all major sports. There's several reasons for all of this, but mainly because it's easier and more comfortable to watch games in your house or in a bar with friends. I have both Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators season tickets. The Titans have been a mediocre at best team in the last decade and have raised ticket prices like 6 times. They didn't even make the playoffs this past year, but raised ticket prices by about 10%. The Predators have been one of the better teams in the NHL over the last couple of years, and they've raised ticket prices each year. I'm locked into no more than a 3% increase in per game prices, but that's a 9% raise over those years. 

Sports is very popular, but it's being consumed differently now. I love being at the game and feeling the joy(or disappointment in the Titans case lol) of the crowd as I'm there. But with prices increasing, the average fan is being priced out of the arena. I'm contemplating getting rid of one set of my tickets if they keep raising the prices. It sucks cause I enjoy going and have great seats, but I know lots of people who feel the same way. And with players holding out more and/or getting injured more frequently, especially in the NFL, the product doesn't seem to be the same as it was even 10-15 years ago. 

Pro sports isn't going anywhere, but I wonder what the leagues will do if ticket sales continue to decline. I would think the ad revenue would be able to make up for it, but haven't taken the time to look up those numbers

Very well said. Yea, I think they are here to stay but changes are coming. Hopefully for the better. One thing about the games besides the crazy prices for everything is the drunk ass douche bags that can’t keep their shit together. Last game I went to was a Oregon vs. Cal game in Santa Clara. The majority of the fans were fall down drunk and sloppy before the game even started and inside the stadium I think the only word I heard was Fuck this and fucking that. I’m no saint but I do respect those with kids and families. I was glad we hadn’t brought my daughter. It was chaos. 

That being said. Wish Mariota would have been magic for the Titans. The kid is a class act and my wife even has a Titans Mariota jersey shirt she wears on Sundays.  Even though we don’t even watch football anymore. Gotta support a good Duck. 🦆 

Yeah, bad fans ruin it for everyone. I've seen plenty of it in my time lol. I'm kinda lucky I don't deal much with it in my seats at either the Titans or Preds, but can still happen and ruin your day. College can be way worse since most colleges don't sell alcohol at the games so fans get trashed beforehand. The SEC approved beer sales at games this year and only about half of the teams are going to allow it. I think it would cut down on the number of people getting trashed before games because now they can buy it inside, but we'll see. the people that want to get trashed are still gonna get trashed. I've got several friends that don't want to take their families to games because of it. Can't say I blame them.

I like Mariota a lot. Great dude and really nice. I saw him at Home Depot year before last right after Thanksgiving shopping for Christmas decorations with his girlfriend. He looked miserable too. Funny to see an NFL QB in a setting like every other guy in America being drug out to shop for Christmas decorations with his girlfriend/wife (like I was that night lol) and giving the "yeah, looks great honey". lol I really hope he has a great year, but I just don't know if he's going to be able to. Too inconsistent and still makes rookie mistakes. I want him to be good, I just don't know if he's able to. But I'll be rooting for him

pjhawks

ponytd said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Sports are not dying attendance may be down but fantasy sports are up, betting on sports is expanding, “hot takes” and stupid stats are all the rave now, sports apps are on the rise.

Owners will get their money whether or not you come to the parks.

On Mike Trout.  Yes, the best player in baseball now for 6 years.  Stupid stats without a team around him.  If the Angels make it to post season more people will get to see the games which is good for everyone.  When the Pirates made the playoffs a few years back I was excited that people could finally get to see Andrew McKutchen play and see how great he actually is but they had a short stay in the playoffs...

Hype machines on twitter and the like help players reach greatness now and not ESPN’s “top plays”.  Every player wants to be their own brand as is the case in the NFL and NBA.  It is trickling into baseball now.  You’ll see more bat flips and celebrations.  The hand daps have been there for a bit but are now becoming more elaborate like synchronized swimming, lol.  I’m still waiting for a player to spike his helmet after he hits the ball over the wall for a walk off HR.

I still like to read about sports but it is a pain to read things online now with all the adds and other click bait, too much going on.  I do prefer magazines and the articles in them but I know that is all going away now too.

So, no.  Sports is not dying.

Good points. Fantasy has grown tremendously over the last few years(which is funny cause I'm growing tired of it lol) which can get and has gotten more people interested. With online sports betting becoming legal in more places and hopefully soon, legal across the US, could help, but I don't see it helping that much with new viewers. The majority of people that weren't able to bet were already watching. I'm sure there will be some increase in viewers of not so popular games, like the late night PAC12 or west coast team games.  It'll be interesting to see this year what those viewership numbers do. I'm guessing they'll rise some, but will it sustain.

I miss the old days of waiting to  watch ESPN top plays, but you're right, you don't have to wait for that now. It's instantly out there on Twitter or Instagram or whatever. Our news cycle has gone from 3-5 days to less than 24 hours and the leagues and players especially want to be the top story in that moment like you mentioned.

MayDay10 said:

It isn't dying, nor will it ever.  It has been going on in some shape or form since civilizations started

It has and will evolve to suit society and technology.  80+ years ago the biggest spectator sports (in North America) were Horse Racing, Boxing, and Baseball.  Now it has become football.  Boxing and Horse Racing are on their way out, and I think baseball may be there in 50+ years. 
I actually believe within 25-30 years, basketball will supplant the NFL as the dominant NA sport and will have a world-wide following.  It will also be much more intertwined with other entertainment, media,  and pop culture.   

A lot of the quaint and 'pure' sport most of us enjoyed as kids is petering out.  Our parents felt the same when we were watching sports played by stars making over 1 million dollars on cable television with sportscenter highlights.

Like you said, it's not dying, but the way it's being consumed is changing rapidly. It'll be interesting to see how and what changes are made over the next 10 years or so

the two points above are great points.  Agree about our parents and the money guys were making and sportscenter.  i fucking loved watching sportscenter in the mid to late 80s. back when it was fun and entertaining.

great point on how it's being consumed today.  kids and younger adults just consume it in a different way then we ever did. it's actually more accessible for this generation than ever before.  you can get it on any device and today almost all the games are available somewhere.

one thing not mentioned is that European soccer is becoming way more popular in the US.  it is pretty much a mainstream sport now with lots of coverage for the Premier leagues.  you see a ton of kids wearing jerseys.

tempo_n_groove

pjhawks said:

ponytd said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Sports are not dying attendance may be down but fantasy sports are up, betting on sports is expanding, “hot takes” and stupid stats are all the rave now, sports apps are on the rise.

Owners will get their money whether or not you come to the parks.

On Mike Trout.  Yes, the best player in baseball now for 6 years.  Stupid stats without a team around him.  If the Angels make it to post season more people will get to see the games which is good for everyone.  When the Pirates made the playoffs a few years back I was excited that people could finally get to see Andrew McKutchen play and see how great he actually is but they had a short stay in the playoffs...

Hype machines on twitter and the like help players reach greatness now and not ESPN’s “top plays”.  Every player wants to be their own brand as is the case in the NFL and NBA.  It is trickling into baseball now.  You’ll see more bat flips and celebrations.  The hand daps have been there for a bit but are now becoming more elaborate like synchronized swimming, lol.  I’m still waiting for a player to spike his helmet after he hits the ball over the wall for a walk off HR.

I still like to read about sports but it is a pain to read things online now with all the adds and other click bait, too much going on.  I do prefer magazines and the articles in them but I know that is all going away now too.

So, no.  Sports is not dying.

Good points. Fantasy has grown tremendously over the last few years(which is funny cause I'm growing tired of it lol) which can get and has gotten more people interested. With online sports betting becoming legal in more places and hopefully soon, legal across the US, could help, but I don't see it helping that much with new viewers. The majority of people that weren't able to bet were already watching. I'm sure there will be some increase in viewers of not so popular games, like the late night PAC12 or west coast team games.  It'll be interesting to see this year what those viewership numbers do. I'm guessing they'll rise some, but will it sustain.

I miss the old days of waiting to  watch ESPN top plays, but you're right, you don't have to wait for that now. It's instantly out there on Twitter or Instagram or whatever. Our news cycle has gone from 3-5 days to less than 24 hours and the leagues and players especially want to be the top story in that moment like you mentioned.

MayDay10 said:

It isn't dying, nor will it ever.  It has been going on in some shape or form since civilizations started

It has and will evolve to suit society and technology.  80+ years ago the biggest spectator sports (in North America) were Horse Racing, Boxing, and Baseball.  Now it has become football.  Boxing and Horse Racing are on their way out, and I think baseball may be there in 50+ years. 
I actually believe within 25-30 years, basketball will supplant the NFL as the dominant NA sport and will have a world-wide following.  It will also be much more intertwined with other entertainment, media,  and pop culture.   

A lot of the quaint and 'pure' sport most of us enjoyed as kids is petering out.  Our parents felt the same when we were watching sports played by stars making over 1 million dollars on cable television with sportscenter highlights.

Like you said, it's not dying, but the way it's being consumed is changing rapidly. It'll be interesting to see how and what changes are made over the next 10 years or so

the two points above are great points.  Agree about our parents and the money guys were making and sportscenter.  i fucking loved watching sportscenter in the mid to late 80s. back when it was fun and entertaining.

great point on how it's being consumed today.  kids and younger adults just consume it in a different way then we ever did. it's actually more accessible for this generation than ever before.  you can get it on any device and today almost all the games are available somewhere.

one thing not mentioned is that European soccer is becoming way more popular in the US.  it is pretty much a mainstream sport now with lots of coverage for the Premier leagues.  you see a ton of kids wearing jerseys.

Soccer becoming more popular here is because of the video games.  Same thing with cars and guns.  No one knew what the hell a GTR was unless they were playing Gran Turismo years back or you were actually in to cars.

When I hear my little nephew mention Messi and Neymar I asked him how he knew about them and he tells me “Video games” and then they become fans and want to watch the great players to use in the games.

ponytd

pjhawks said:

the two points above are great points.  Agree about our parents and the money guys were making and sportscenter.  i fucking loved watching sportscenter in the mid to late 80s. back when it was fun and entertaining.

great point on how it's being consumed today.  kids and younger adults just consume it in a different way then we ever did. it's actually more accessible for this generation than ever before.  you can get it on any device and today almost all the games are available somewhere.

one thing not mentioned is that European soccer is becoming way more popular in the US.  it is pretty much a mainstream sport now with lots of coverage for the Premier leagues.  you see a ton of kids wearing jerseys.

Man I miss those days too. I miss waking up and grabbing the sports page in the paper to check box scores of games. It was a simpler time lol.  

I can't speak for other teams and cities, but I'm sure they're doing the same thing, but the Titans have upgraded their wifi coverage in the stadium and give FF updates on the jumbo tron at times through the game also. For me personally, while I'm at the game, I'm involved in that game. I don't really care what's going on in other games. Me keeping up with it or not isn't going to change anything, but there are lots of people that care about that. Teams realizing that and trying to cater to that segment is smart and hope they continue to improve upon that area.

Good point about soccer. With some many cable and sports channels out there, it's easier to get involved in sports in other countries. Soccer is definitely growing, and people now are way more knowledgeable about the bigger names in soccer that the rest of the world knew about. Definitely way more now than in the last 10 years

erebus

The next evolution is video gaming

all ready on tv, there are pro teams and lots of money involved. I think the top Fortnite player was making about a million per month!!!!!
not for me, but that's what the next generation is getting into